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Sustainable Energy Management

Part-time/Distance & Online LearningAdvanced Certificate5070adcert

Overview

The Sustainable Energy Management Advanced Certificate (SEMAC) program is a partnership between BC Hydro, FortisBC and BCIT, with initial funding support from the Natural Resources Canada - Office of Energy Efficiency. The program is designed to support employment opportunities in the emerging field of sustainable energy management, with focus on the energy demands of commercial, institutional, industrial and community facilities.

The target audience for this advanced certificate are those that are interested in expanding their knowledge and initiatives into sustainable energy management or are interested in changing careers.

The SEMAC program is a completely online part-time studies program that will provide graduates with the skills and knowledge of sustainable energy management principles, approaches, techniques, and tools, in order to be able to function quickly and effectively in the energy management industry. Energy management is the practice of energy conservation, in short making sure that industry is only using the energy it needs and that that energy is being used as efficiently as possible. This program consists of nine courses that cover the technical aspects of energy management along with the business aspects and human behavior aspects. This holistic program provides graduates with a well-rounded base for succeeding in the energy management industry.

The program will use lectures and self-guided learning as the primary method to develop the knowledge and applied skills of the learners. Learning methodologies will also include case studies, project work, group collaboration, and student presentations.

You can apply if you have had the pre-entry assessment and have completed any necessary pre-entry courses. A completed pre-entry assessment form from the program area must be uploaded to complete your application.

Step 2: Meet the following entrance requirements

English: two years of education in English in an English-speaking country with one of the following:

Recognized diploma or degree in a related field (e.g. Civil Engineering, Building, Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Business, Facilities Management, Mechanical Engineering, Operations Management) AND a minimum of five years working experience.

Option 2:

Interprovincial Red Seal in a related trade (e.g. Instrumentation and Control Technician, Industrial Electrician) AND a minimum of five years working experience.

Option 3:

Twenty years of related work experience in the fields of facilities, energy, business, trades and/or project management.

Applicants who have completed post-secondary studies outside of Canada, the United States, the United
Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand will require a comprehensive evaluation of their credentials by the International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES). Credential evaluation reports from other Canadian services may be considered. These reports must include course-by-course evaluations and GPA calculations.

Recommended for success

Applicants are expected to be proficient with word processing, spreadsheet programs and file management.

Although not mandatory, prior work experience in the fields of facilities, energy, business, trades, and/or project management would be greatly beneficial for the on-the-job success of SEMAC graduates.

Professional development

Subject to departmental approval and course availability, students may take up to three courses for professional development without having to first apply to the program. A minimum of a diploma or equivalent work experience is required. Applicants will have to either take CESA 5100 - Energy Basics or show that they have the equivalent background before permission is granted to register in any of the courses. Please contact BCIT_SEMAC@bcit.ca for more information.

Scheduled intakes

September each year.

Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)

If a student believes that they are eligible for transfer credit, the Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR) process is used. Generally, the student meets with the instructor who will review the student's credentials and experiences. The instructor will make a recommendation to the program head. The PLAR process has a fee attached (usually half the course tuition). Recommendations may include: no PLAR, full credit awarded, requirement to audit the course, complete certain course outcomes to the satisfaction of the instructor, and/or write the final exam.

myCommunication

Within two business days of submitting your completed application, BCIT will send a message to your personal and myBCIT e-mail addresses. All correspondence regarding your application will be posted to your online myCommunication account at my.bcit.ca. We'll send you an e-mail when a new message is posted. It's important to watch for these e-mails or regularly check your account online.

You can expect to receive communication concerning the status of your application within four weeks.

Costs & Supplies

Tuition fees

Students pay course by course. Check current availability of courses for this program for individual course tuition.

Books and supplies

$500 (general estimated cost, subject to change)

Courses

Class hours

Students enroll in one course at a time.

For each course in the program there will be a requirement to log in to the course via Desire to Learn (D2L) during one evening a week. During these times, there may be a lecture, guest lecturer and/or class discussions. For the rest of the week, students will work at their own pace to complete the weekly assignments or tasks. Though self-paced, each course will have set timelines for the completion of assignments and quizzes.

Program matrix

This course presents an overview of various energy uses, sources and cost structures, as well as strategies to reduce energy consumption and costs. Conventional and renewable energy sources are discussed. Strategies for energy conservation, fuel switching and changing to passive systems are examined. Behavioural changes as a conservation strategy are introduced. The rationale for sustainable energy management within existing buildings is explored. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Sustainable Energy Management program.

This course presents an overview of various conventional energy dependent building systems, conventional active and alternative passive systems, and their interaction with each other, including lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation. (Active: HVAC & R, pumps, fans, motors, boilers, lighting, non-lighting such as computing, and Passive: thermal mass, natural ventilation, shading, ground source and solar for pre-heating/pre-cooling, daylighting ). Students will examine non-mechanical building systems, such as building envelope, insulation, windows, glazing, as well as building systems controls. Strategies for existing buildings will be differentiated from those for new construction, with focus on energy management in existing buildings. Building performance improvements, including energy performance, through building recommissioning or continuous commissioning, will be examined. The course introduces energy performance simulation (computer modeling) as a tool to establish baselines and change scenarios for energy reduction strategies. This course also presents an overview of various industrial systems such as: compressed air, process equipment, pumps and material handling equipment. The building systems mentioned above will be elaborated upon for industrial buildings. An introduction to the components of and the advantages and disadvantages of various alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, district energy, biomass, and heat recovery will also be presented. Prerequisites: CESA 5100

This course presents the actions, policies, strategies and management systems required by Energy Managers to effectively manage facilities energy use and liaise with day-to-day operations. An overview of various energy-dependent business operations such as: fleet, procurement, and less energy intensive related alternatives will also be presented. Where possible, field trips to actual sites to see energy monitoring, DDC, asset and Maintenance management systems and to discuss day to day issues with field experts will be scheduled. Prerequisites: CESA 5100

This course presents an overview of various energy policies, laws, codes, standards, and building rating systems for existing buildings including the Model National Energy Code of Canada, ASHRAE Standards 90.1, BC Energy Code, Vancouver Energy Bylaw and LEEDTM Building Rating Systems. The course also introduces energy requirements, targets, and performance measures currently mandated or suggested as best practices, as well as upcoming further reduction requirements. Prerequisites: CESA 5300

The course presents an overview of energy audits aimed at identifying opportunities for energy cost and greenhouse gas reduction in existing buildings. Students will gain an understanding on how to procure an energy audit, how to carry out an energy audit, how to evaluate energy audits competed and how to plan for the implementation of the findings. Students will also be able to specify, procure, and review energy audits. In addition, students will perform high-level energy audits. Prerequisites: CESA 5300

This course presents an overview of various decision-making tools and methodologies. Performance indicators examined include: direct and indirect financial costs and benefits, and non-monetary costs and benefits. Emphasis is placed on full life cycle costing, assessment and energy analysis. Prerequisites: CESA 5600

Introduces concepts of organizational behaviour and change management, including group effects, motivators, and communication techniques to help facilitate organizational change that embraces a corporate culture of energy conservation and consumption reduction. Uses the fable ‘Our Iceberg is Melting’ based on the eights steps to successful change (setting the stage, what to do, make it happen and make it stick) developed by John P Kotter, to introduce the concept of successful change and the forces that drive it. Presents an overview of why organizations fail in their attempts to change due to complacency, ineffective guiding coalition, lack of vision, obstacles, failure to create short-term wins, declaring victory too early, and failure to anchor changes firmly in the corporate culture. Presents an overview of community based social marketing principles aimed at changing personal and group behaviours and attitudes to gain acceptance for energy conservation and reduction solutions, including identification of barriers and benefits, building commitment, using prompts and messaging to build community support, understanding incentives and how they can be used to motivate people to act while removing barriers to increase participation. Provides detailed framework/road map along with the practical tools for development and implementation of social marketing based energy conservation programs. Prerequisites: CESA 5100

This course presents an overview of the full scope of the development of an energy management project. The course provides a practical opportunity to bring together all the components of an energy management project learned in the Sustainable Energy Manager program by preparing an energy management project plan for a real business or building. Various project delivery methods, financing models and perspectives on gaining executive approval are explored. Prerequisites: CESA 5800

Program Details

Program location

Graduating & Jobs

Job Opportunities

Although the program is aimed at filling BC Hydro’s need for energy managers and Fortis BC's need for Energy Specialists, additional opportunities exist for graduates in the many governmental energy or energy-related (including GHG) agencies:

Non-profit sector employment (e.g. working to educate the population or auditing for other NGOs)

Specialized sales representative understanding the reality of the energy manager working with BC Hydro. They could be working for:

Graduate employment outcomes

The BCIT student outcomes reports present summary findings from the annual survey of former students administered by
BC Stats one to two years after graduation. These reports combine the last three years of available results for the
2013-2015 BCIT Outcomes Surveys of 2012-2014 graduates and for Degree 2010-2012 graduates. The reports are organized
into three-page summaries containing information on graduates' labour market experiences and opinions regarding their
education. More detailed information can be accessed at the
BC Student Outcomes website.

How does the online program work?

The SEMAC program consists of nine courses. The length of a course can differ from five weeks to fifteen weeks, depending on the number of credits. When each course starts you log into D2L, BCIT’s online learning system. You work through the content by yourself but often have group assignments. Your instructor is there to answer questions, run live webinar sessions, moderate discussion forums and support you in your learning. Quizzes and exams are taken online as well. The scheduled live webinar sessions with your instructors are usually no more than two hours per week in the evening. These sessions are recorded so that you can also watch them at a later date.

How long is the program and what is the course schedule?

The program is offered in two different formats depending on how quickly you would like to finish the program.

1.5 year option: takes approximately 16 months to complete. Courses run from September to June, with a break for Christmas in the first year. You then take a two month summer break during July and August. Courses start again in September and finish in December. During this time you will be taking two courses at all times. A visual representation of the 1.5 year option can be view in this PDF.

2.5 year option: takes approximately 28 months to complete. Courses run from September to June, with a break for Christmas in the first year. You then take a two month summer break during July and August. You then same format for year two. Then after year two courses start again in September for the third year and finish in December. During this time you will be taking one course at a time for all semesters except for the last one, where you will take two courses. A visual representation of the 2.5 year option can be view in this PDF.

How much time per week do I need to spend on the program?

This depends on the course and how many courses you have each semester. For example, the first course is a 36 hour course and it is offered over 10 weeks. On average, you should expect up to 3 hours of homework and readings on top of your class time. A 36 hour course would require a maximum of 144 hours over 10 weeks. Expect to spend between 6 to 14 hours a week to complete this course.

Do I get to meet my classmates in person?

Yes, the first day of class is an “in person” session at BCIT. We ask students to come in for the weekend to get to know their classmates a bit. If you live too far away to join us for the weekend we will happily make exceptions for people to join us in webinar format.

Students have, in the past, organized informal social events with other students in the program to help stay in touch.

We also love to see students attend convocation after the have graduated, this can be a great celebration and networking opportunity for the cohort.

Can I just take a few courses or do I have to take the whole program?

The SEMAC program is best taken in sequence, starting with CESA 5100 in the fall. If you intend to take the program we highly suggest you take it in order.

Some students come from backgrounds where they already have quite a bit of experience with energy management. Quite often these students are presently employed as energy management professionals. They might be looking for some specific courses to improve or refresh their skill set and if so, may be allowed to take “one-off classes” with permission from the Program Head.

What kinds of jobs can I get when I graduate from this program?

This program was originally designed to allow people with the correct background and experience to be hired into the Energy Manager and Energy Specialist programs at BC Hydro and FortisBC. Some of our graduates have gone into these roles over the past few years. Many other individuals work in various supporting fields of energy management.

The following are examples of job titles of past students:

Energy Specialist/Manager/Director

Energy and Sustainability Manager

Energy Engineer

Maintenance Manager

Project/Sales Manager

Technical Sales Manager

Senior Consultant

Business Energy Advisor

The following organizations are examples of where students have found work:

Institutions

Consulting Firms

Health Care

Industrial Manufacturing

Non-Profit Associations

Municipalities

Hospitality Industry

Private Consulting Business

Additional opportunities exist for graduates:

Non-profit sector employment

Specialized sales representative understanding the reality of the energy manager working with BC Hydro and FortisBC

What kinds of networking opportunities are there for me in this program?

The program offers many optional networking opportunities with industry over its 16 month duration. Most are offered in the last few months of the program as students begin to plan the next steps in their careers.

How much does this program cost and is there financial aid?

The total cost of the program in 2016 was approximately $5750. This cost includes the cost of text books and will go up each year. Payments are made as each course is started rather than as a lump sum at the beginning of the program.

This program is not eligible for financial aid through BCIT’s financial aid office.

The SEMAC program has partnered with FortisBC to provide a grant available to Aboriginal students interested in the SEMAC program. More information can be found on the Aboriginal Services web pages.

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through the United States of America. If you have any questions about BCIT's collection
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